PURPOSE: To print economically, with a long useful life, at a high speed and with high quality, by a method wherein a hard and highly heat conductive substance is provided on an abrasion-resistant layer of a thermal head by an electroless composite plating method.

CONSTITUTION: A heating resistor 3 is laminated on an insulated substrate 1, an anti-oxidation film 5 consisting of SiO2 provided thereon, a thin film of a metal, e.g., chromium, is excellent in adhesion with the film 5 is adhered to the film 5, and a ground metal 7 for plating is provided. Then, a photoresist is applied onto the entire surface of the ground metal 7 by a spinner, a ground metal 8 is provided directly above the heating resistor 3 in a pattern substantially the same as that of the heating resistor 3, and the abrasion-resistant layer 9 is provided on the metal 8 by an electroless composite plating method. This construction is low in production cost, and enables to print with a long useful life, at a high speed and with high quality. When an NiB-diamond layer is used as the abrasion-resistant layer, heat responsivity and abrasion resistance are enhanced, the useful life is prolonged, printing speed is enhanced, cost is reduced and printing quality is enhanced.